For Chris Stewart, the ultimate grocery-getter has been a major priority for what he looked for in a ride. Being able to pick up groceries or make a trip to the local hardware store and be enjoyable to drive around on a daily basis was a tough combination to find.
After looking around for a year in the Washington, DC area, Chris stumbled across a 48hp Diesel Rabbit pick-up (a.k.a. Caddy in Europe). After realizing the "mighty" thrust of the diesel powered engine was not enough to get him where he wanted to be at the pace he desired, it was time to start upgrading the car to further suit his needs.
Originally, the planned replacement engine was a late model 1.9 TDI, but he soon learned finding one of these at a decent price was rather difficult. During the span of his research into a TDI engine, he realized that his power needs could be met by converting the little diesel pickup truck to gas and dropping in a late model 2.0L 16-valve engine that he sourced from a rolled 16v MkII Scirocco.
The goal for this project then became to build out the Caddy to what the VW engineers hypothetically would have liked to have done with the original VW pickup. The overall car took roughly about 300 hours from beginning to end, thus proving that these types of restoration projects are not for the weak at heart and definitely can create strains on personal relationships. Thankfully Chris' wife understood his "obsession" with the little pickup truck.
First the Caddy was stripped down. Glass, door panels, doors, etc were removed to be refurbished or ultimately replaced by OEM sourced items. As many people know who have restored older cars sourcing parts and stripping down "parts" cars can be as difficult and time consuming as building the actual project car itself. This is a very important thing to remember when undertaking as large of a project as what Chris undertook.
Engine & Transmission
Once the engine was pulled, Chris decided to go with a 1.8L 16-valve head, for obvious increased air flow advantages, mated to the 2.0L block which he acquired in a trade for his 4 speed transmission. A Techtonics exhaust and downpipe were also added at a later date, which improved the exhaust note of the 16v motor and added a few ponies. While the engine was out of the Caddy, it was also decided to install a power steering rack and pump from the donor car along with a new fuse box and wiring harness. This engine was then mated up to the 16-valve gearbox (code:AGB) which happens to be a direct fit into these earlier cars.
Since the initial engine transplant Chris has gone on to install a higher .75 5th gear which dramatically improves highway mileage to 36mpg and increased his top end. According to Chris, this is one of the best things he has done to the car since installing the 16-valve motor and transmission.
To test the improvements made to the gearing and the engine compartment, Chris recently dynoed the truck at 128.6 hp and 125.7 ft/lbs to the wheels. That's not bad for what started out life as a 48hp diesel work truck!
Exterior Upgrades
While the engine was out of the car it also underwent a complete overhaul to the exterior. The truck was stripped down and repainted in '93 Classic Green Metallic. Not shown in the pictures, the car is currently running Corrado steel wheels or "steelies" as they are normally referred to. While a bit on the heavy side the new rims definitely give the car more of a classic OEM look compared to the Corrado G60 rims that were originally on the car.
A couple of interesting features not found on the original specification sheet for the VW Pickup that are found on Chris' car include a new glass sunroof, front European bumper with clear marker lights, 1989 Jetta 16-valve front chin spoiler, GTI fender flares, and a unique, custom made tonneau cover for the bed along with his bedliner which he made from indoor/outdoor carpet sourced from a local home improvement center. While not sounding all that drastic of a change to the vehicle, the combination of all these parts created a very subtle and stylish appearance to the Caddy.
Interior Upgrades
Keeping with the theme of using mostly OEM parts, Chris decided to swap out the dash with one sourced from a 1990 Cabriolet and substituted a 140mph gauge cluster from a Scirocco 16-valve. He also decided that the Caddy needed a new black carpet to replace the old tan pickup truck carpet. The black kit sourced from TMI, who are widely known for providing interior upholstery products for both aircooled and watercooled Volkwagens.
One of the more functional modifications that he performed was the switch from the flimsy, thin stock steering column stalks to the more substantial stalks found in a 1988 GTI. Not only is this a functional modification, it certainly cleans up the dash area that much more.
To round out the interior renovations Chris decided to go with 1993 Cabriolet door panels which house a nice discrete set of Polk Audio speakers and a set of functional power -adjustable Recaros from a 1991 Jetta GLI.
Conclusion
If the original VW engineers could have seen this car I'm sure they would be impressed with the overall quality of the restoration. Probably the most interesting aspect of this Caddy was that it was restored mostly using OEM parts from different generations of Volkswagens. Chris has definitely succeeded in turning a real sleeper of a truck into an extremely show worthy vehicle that actually can go from show mode to work mode in a blink of an eye.
1983 Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup 16v
Base Car: Engine: Transmission: Color:
1983 Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup 2.0l 16-valve with 1.8l 16-valve head 5-speed Manual Dark Green Metallic
Modifications
Engine:
Rebuilt 1991 Jetta GLI 2.0L 9A 16v block 1.8 16v head - euro cam, 3-angle valve job, cc'd ports, Techtonics fuel enrichment module
Transmission:
Rebuilt transmission with 3.94 final drive - (36mpg highway) Ratios: 1: 3.45 2: 2.12 3: 1.44 4: 1.03 5: .75
Exhaust:
Techtonics 2.25 Borla stainless steel exhaust system w/Techtonics race downpipe
